‘This is beyond belief’ — Anger as patients are back lying on trolleys

Nurses have called for an investigation into overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick, which accounted for more than half of national trolley figures yesterday.

Union representatives described the situation in UHL as ‘beyond belief’ and warned that overcrowding will create an environment for the coronavirus to spread.

Figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) showed that yesterday, a total of 74 people were waiting for a hospital bed around the country – 42 of whom were at UHL.

University Hospital Limerick accounted for more than half of national trolley figures on Thursday. Pic: Google Street View

The Limerick hospital regularly has the highest number of daily trolley figures, with almost 14,000 patients there left without a bed in 2019 alone.

The Covid-19 pandemic saw trolley numbers nationwide drop as low as five nationwide, as patients avoided hospitals due to fear of contracting the virus.

However, the number of those without hospital beds is slowly starting to increase, with 74 waiting yesterday.

The INMO has now called for an investigation into what is causing this overcrowding, saying that national intervention is absolutely necessary to avoid ‘catastrophic outcomes for patients and frontline staff ‘. Pic: Shutterstock

Alarmingly, UHL, accounting for 57% of the national total.

The hospital with the second highest trolley number yesterday was Cork University Hospital, with eight, followed by Tallaght Hospital, with seven.

Twenty hospitals had no patients waiting on trolleys.

The INMO has now called for an investigation into what is causing this overcrowding, saying that national intervention is absolutely necessary to avoid ‘catastrophic outcomes for patients and frontline staff ‘.

Ms Fogarty told the Irish Daily Mail that the overcrowding in UHL is a result of a historic bed capacity problem in the area, as well as a delay in getting people discharged. Pic: Shutterstock

Mary Fogarty, INMO assistant director of industrial relations for the region, said: ‘Trolley numbers are rightly at record lows nationally, as health service capacity is increased and many services pared down. Yet what we are seeing in Limerick is beyond belief. UHL has more patients on trolleys today than all other hospitals in Ireland put together.’

She continued: ‘Any overcrowding is unacceptable at the best of times. But with Covid-19, this presents a serious danger of infection and transmission of the virus to staff and vulnerable patients. Hospitals should be limiting occupancy to safety limits, not going beyond 80% capacity in times of such high infection risk.’

Ms Fogarty told the Irish Daily Mail that the overcrowding in UHL is a result of a historic bed capacity problem in the area, as well as a delay in getting people discharged.

She said the ongoing problem of bed shortage in the Limerick area needs to be managed.

‘Our concern now is this can’t continue like this while Covid-19 is here, because we won’t sustain the hospital with overcrowding and a virus circulating,’ she said.

The Limerick hospital regularly has the highest number of daily trolley figures, with almost 14,000 patients there left without a bed in 2019 alone. Pic: Shutterstock

‘We do believe that it does require further examination and support, so that this is not going to be a daily occurrence now with Covid, because it will lead to people contracting the virus if they’re working in that kind of environment and there’s overcrowding, and that’s patients and staff.’

On the same day last week, Thursday, 28 people were waiting on trolleys at UHL.

A spokesperson for the UL Hospitals Group said a significant numbers of non-Covid patients are once again arriving after a period during which this activity decreased considerably.

However, they insisted that all patients currently waiting for admission to UHL are doing so in the most appropriate assessment and isolation facilities.

The Covid-19 pandemic saw trolley numbers nationwide drop as low as five nationwide, as patients avoided hospitals due to fear of contracting the virus. Pic: Getty Images

‘A number of these patients delayed seeking medical attention as a result of anxiety over Covid-19 are now seriously ill and require a longer stay in hospital as a result. This impacts on patient flow and bed capacity,’ they added.

They said the hospital is facing additional pressure from the significant numbers of patients transferred to its care from nursing homes. ‘Once medically fit, complying with the necessary strict isolation guidelines and criteria can cause delays with their discharge. In addition, there are currently 18 patients with delayed transfers of care,’ they said.

A number of beds are also currently blocked for proper infection prevention and control, while other beds within the group have been closed to maintain physical distancing.

Local TD Willie O’Dea said the situation was ‘worrying’ as he understands the hospital has a high concentration of Covid-19 patients. He said it is not too late for a once-mooted separate field hospital for Covid-19 patients to be established on the grounds of University of Limerick.

The Fianna Fáil deputy said: ‘It is going to get worse but it is not too late to go ahead with the proposal of the field hospital. I would urge the powers that be or whoever the bureaucrats are that are holding it up to get on with it.’

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